Panthera pardus
by Shalesia19
Summary: Aliya is a young mutant raised in the wilds of Africa by her adoptive mother who happens to be a leopard. After her mother is killed by hunters, she loses all trust in the human race until she is introduced to the students of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. With their love and support, she is able to find out what she is, who she is, and how to love back. KurtXOC
1. Chapter 1

I hope you (whoever decides to read this :P) enjoy my story and please review!

_Animal speak_

**Thoughts**

"Human talk" (whatever that would be called :P- they're speaking Swahili by the way- thank you google translate :))

Chapter 1

I feel the light sting of rain pepper my back as I crouch lower to the ground. The wet grass and moss masking the forest floor slowly mold to the souls of my bare feet. With great care and control, I creep up behind one of the larger shrubs ahead of me.

SNAP!

I freeze in place and halt all breathing. My ears snap forward and the black of my pupils engulf my irises. Nostrils flared and muscles completely tensed, I draw in an inaudible whiff of the air. I take in the usual plethora of scents and sounds; the calls of exotic birds overhead, the distant babblings of a shallow brook, and the quiet whisper of the wind. Then I discover something much more… desirable. Restraining the low growl creeping up my throat, I inch into the small bush.

Through its feeble web of branches I spot my prey. A proud male deer well into his prime standing a few yards away. I recede from the bush and make my way behind the adjacent tree.

My movements are no longer passive, but remain hushed by the noise of the forest. I choose to circle my prey; I favor attacking it from behind and avoiding its antlers.

Once in range, my body freezes behind a large tree. Everything around me goes mute and I slip into the spell of the hunt. I feel my eyes grow darker and devoid of any shred of mercy. My broad lips pull back to reveal fierce canines and I slowly stock forward. I no longer feel the grass under my feet or the rain at my back. All of my vision and concentration has converged onto that single deer. With pin prick like pupils and ears drawn back in aggression, I leap into the air.

The deer, oblivious to my presence and his own danger, turns just as I pounce upon him.

Claws drawn and teeth bared, I bury my powerful jaws into his throat and thick claws into his sides. Tearing the skin and shattering a few ribs, the buck cries out of pure agony. His struggles only help my claws to tear more skin from flesh and the scent of his blood has a euphoric effect on me. Again he cries while trying desperately to liberate his neck from my fangs. After a few seconds, fatigue takes the deer and his movements slow. My pupils dilate back to normal and the trance-like state I had entered breaks. I crush his wind pipe to end his life.

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A few hours later I awoke under one of my favorite trees. The soft moss beneath me served as bedding and thin beams of warm sunlight tickled my skin. Eyes still closed and body fully relaxed, I allow a wide smile to spread across my lips.

**That was a good meal. **The thought crosses my mind as I absently rub my stomach and hum out of satisfaction.

**I bet mom would- **My smile drops and I stop rubbing my abdomen. I roll onto my side with a slight grimace. My tail sways back and forth with mild aggravation. **What am I thinking about her for…? I… I! **I bolt up into a sitting position and give a slight smack to both of my cheeks. **I gotta stop acting like a cub! I was raised as a leopard, so I gotta act like one! What would mother think of me now? Lingering on the border of her territory instead of finding my own... **I slump back against the tree in defeat.

I shouldn't be here. I just know I shouldn't. I look down at the hands resting in my lap; my hands, not paws. Instead of having golden fur with a familiar pattern of black spots… I was pretty bald. Besides my voluminous mass of hair atop my head, my body was mostly covered in smooth, cinnamon-brown skin. A heavy sigh escapes my lips and I ball my hands into fists. I know I'm not a leopard and I'll never be one, but… **Mom… I miss you…**

Despite knowing that I wasn't her cub or even the same animal as her, my mother raised me as her own. Even after accompanying her on hunts for two summers… my mother continued to stay with me; an act that was considered unusual for her kind. After what felt like my sixteenth summer, she finally left me.

My thick brows creased in despair as I thought back to the day we parted ways. **Mom…**

_You must find your own way my daughter… My body is growing weaker with each day and I fear you have grown too attached to my presence. I do not wish to hinder you… that is why I must leave you. _

Her last words echo through my mind and my eyes begin to sting. **What am I doing?! **I rub at my eyes defiantly and stand to my feet. **I'm just bringing shame to mom's memory with all this weakness! Even if I can't see her anymore it doesn't mean she won't be in my heart!**

I energetically brush the stray blades of grass from my kinky locks and stretch out my stiff limbs. **Yeah! If I can't be a leopard then I can at least be the kind of daughter mom wants me to be. **

Hands on my hips and smile back on my face, I look towards the top of the tree ahead of me. Before my nap, I had placed the remaining half of the deer carcass on one of its higher branches. It was still fresh and would make a great midnight snack. **Hmm…** My brows knit together with worry.

**I wonder if mother has had dinner yet… No! No, no, no! **I shook my head in disapproval of my own thoughts. **Not again! I'm sure she's already eaten!**

I was referring to the fact that, for the past month, I've been leaving half of my kills in front of my mother's cave. I couldn't help it! She was getting older… and weaker. I was worried that she couldn't provide for herself any longer; especially with the arrival of those hunters a few weeks ago.

I bared my teeth and snarled at the mere thought of them. I had yet to see any of them myself, but I had encountered many of their traps this past couple of weeks and during my past hunts with my mom. She really drove home the idea of not seeking out the hunters and that I should just avoid them. They're the main reason we moved around a lot before permanently settling in this territory.

**And now they're back. **My growls grew louder and I could hear the scurrying of animals overhead.

_My body is growing weaker with each day…_

At that thought, my growls quelled into a quiet whimper. **I have to make sure she's eating… just leaving the food won't hurt… it's not like I'm talking to her or anything… I just can't get caught… again.**

I titled my head to the side and rubbed the back of it sheepishly. **Mom really chewed me out last time about that, **I thought with a small chuckle.

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With the deer slung across my back, I quickly made my way through the forest. Diving over tree roots and just narrowly dodging the trees themselves, I bolted towards my mother's cave. The pathway was so familiar and nostalgic that I forget that I was leaving my scent behind.

It didn't take long for me to reach the small clearing that lay before her cave. I surveyed the surrounding area before letting lose a sigh of relief. I was alone.

**Good she's not here, **I thought with a smirk. **Now all I have to do is- **My ear flinched back toward behind me.

_With all the training I put you through I thought you would at least be able to detect some hint of my presence. _

My ears and tail flew up in shock and I slowly turned around. I let the deer slip from my grasp as I saw my mother emerge from the dense bushes behind me.

_Well,_ she asked as she sat back on her haunches; eyes firm and tailing swaying patiently. Despite her mostly serious tone, I was delighted to see her.

_M-mother! _My call broke in my throat as fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around her. Immediately, I nuzzled my nose into her neck; she followed up with affectionate licks to my cheek. _I missed you so much, _I wined while letting the tears finally fall from my eyes. Her licking ceased.

_Missed me? As I recall, we spoke less than three sun raises ago_, she replied lovingly.

I pulled back to frown at her. _That wasn't a real conversation; that was you lecturing me on the importance of independence._

Even though our facial features were vastly different, I could practically see the smirk on her lips. _And seeing as you are right back where I told you not to be, my lecture seemed to have little to no impact on your actions._

My face burned with embarrassment and I turned my gaze away from her. _I just wanted to make sure you were eating properly… Don't tell_ _not to worry, 'cause I know hunting is getting tougher for you. _I turned back to stare into her honey shaded eyes. The fur lining her mouth and nose was a startling white against the tan, yellow color of her coat. Adorning her face were several shallow scars; none of which, to my relief, seemed fresh.

Just when I think she's about to begin lecturing me again, she drops her head unto my shoulder and groans. _Why do you insist on taking care of me?_ There's no disappointment or anger in her voice, only love. I gently stroke her back as we sit in silence for a few minutes.

_'Cause… you're my mom and I love you. I don't know if I have these feelings because I'm just weird or 'cause I'm not a leopard, but I wanna take care of you._ Her purring only swells my heart and resolve even farther. _Please let me stay with you…_

_Aliya… _she sighed in defeat and I hugged her with bursting enthusiasm.

_This is going to be great mom! You won't have to worry about a thin-. _I stopped mid-sentence and my head snapped to the right of where we were seated.

_What's wrong, _my mother asks. _Run, _I command as I jumped to my feet and urged her into the bushes. After finally catching the strange sent that I had detected she rose to her feet and we both took off into the forest.

"Chui! (Leopard!)." I heard something yell from behind me.

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_How could I let this happen!_ I gritted my teeth in anger.

_Do not blame yourself my child; just keep running! _

The forest moved around us in a blur as we raced toward cover. Even now with the enemy not too far behind and the sun still reigning high, I couldn't bring myself to worry for my own safety. Immediately, I noticed the difference in speed between me and my mother. The idea of her running for her life on an empty stomach only fueled my worries.

Then it happened. A sickening crack rang through the forest and I saw that my mother was no longer inches behind me. In what felt like a fraction of a second, she was snatched into the air by what appeared to be a large, black spider's web. The webbing itself was several inches thick and suspended her above the ground, trapping her inside.

I halted almost immediately and looked up at her; my expression a mix of shock and desperation.

_Mother! _My cry was tainted with worry. _I am fine Aliya. _I could see that she was trying to stand up in the strange webbing, but her limbs kept falling though its holes. I sighed in relief, but quickly remembered the situation we were currently in. _Hold on! I'm coming!_

Drawing my claws from underneath my fingernails, I walked over to the tree that the webbing was attached too. Gripping the sides of the tree, I prepared myself to climb.

"Zaidi ya hapa. Nadhani nikasikia chui zaidi ya hapa! (Over here! I think I heard a leopard over here!)." I froze in place as I heard the strange calls of the hunters.

_Aliya! _My head snapped up to my mother's voice. _Hide yourself! Take cover in the forest and leave me! _

_What! I can't! I won-! _I could hear their footsteps getting closer and my heart was nearly pounding out of my chest; my hands began to shake in panic.

_Leave me, Aliya! They are almost upon us and I do not wish to see my child killed in front of me! _I flinched at her words as they brought me out of my panic. Looking up, I locked eyes with her; tears already forming. _I will save you, _I whispered and doze into the bushes a few feet away. Just as soon as I hid myself the hunters appeared.

Slashing through bushes with a large object that appeared to be made of the sharpest, shiniest stone I had ever seen, they stepped into view. My hands flew up to my mouth to stifle the gasp that sprung up my throat.

Eyes wide and focused, I leaned forward to look harder at them. **They… they look just like me! **The four… ,whatever strange creatures they were, walked to stand under the webbing holding my mother. They were talking excitedly with one another and the smiles on a few of their faces, oddly enough, quelled some of the fear in my heart.

**They're just like me! **I took in their features with amazement; they lacked fur, and paws, and spots, and… just about everything that made me different from mom! **Well aside from the tail, ears, and eyes they look like me. **I tilted my head in wonder. Their ears… were on the sides of their heads and about a fourth the size of mines. Their eyes… were also a rich brown color; a sharp contrast against my green-yellow irises. My tail swayed in child-like curiosity.

**Maybe mom was wrong about the hunt... HOLD ON! Why didn't she tell me they looked like me?! **Vexation began to flare up in my chest at my mother's betrayal. I was brought out of my internal struggle as I heard her roar rip through the air.

My tail stilled and my attention was back on the hunters. One of them was jabbing a long stick into my mother's side and another was laughing hysterically. My head lowered and my eyes narrowed; lips pulling back in anger, I had forgotten the positive critique I had formed of these creatures in mere seconds. I took a step forward, snapping a twig in my haste.

_Aliya, no, _my mother roared from above; her warning drowning out the noise I caused. Her cries seemed to only entertain the hunters farther, as the one with the stick continued to torment her. When she lashed back with a swipe of her deadly claws, she was able to knock the stick from the hunter's hand. Her actions had also frightened him as he fell back in surprise. Landing on his rear end, he looked up and locked eyes with my mother; she growled at him menacingly.

That had shut them. I grinned widely; my heart proud to have a mother so powerful and fear inspiring.

The one who had fallen over didn't share my feelings as he rushed to his feet. He began yelling at my mother in his strange native tongue; I can't imagine he was saying anything too nice. The other creatures were now laughing at him and I could see that he was becoming more distressed. **Coward,** I thought with a look of satisfaction. When my mother locked eyes with him again he saw that, even with their bizarre trap, she was the one who was still stronger than them. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Quickly, he turned to his companion and pulled a small object, no bigger than his hand, off his person. He pointed it toward my mother's chest and smirked. **What is tha-? **

BANG!

I flinched and covered my ears with my hands; ducking down closer to the ground. Almost as immediately as the sound ended, I sat back up. **What was-?! **

A loud mewl of pain erupted from my mother and the smell of blood polluted the air. Without thinking I shot up to my feet. Hearing my movements, two of the hunters turned to see me emerge from the bushes. One of them was cutting my mother free from the web; her body plummeted to the ground with a lifeless thud.

"Nini! (What!)"

"Ambao ni yeye?! (Who is she?!)"

They backed away as they took in the features that distinguished me from them. It didn't matter though; I could no longer hear or see them. I dragged my feet towards my mother; every step feeling slower than the last. When I was finally standing over her, I dropped to my knees. I reached out to touch her with both hands, but they just hovered over her shaking.

**Momma… **I could see the trails of blood streaming from her chest; I knew then that it was too late. Before I could touch her, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Wewe ni nani (Who are you?)," the one with his hand on my shoulder asked.

"Jinsi gani ya kupata hapa (How did you get here?)," asked another hunter.

"Ni yeye mungu (Is she a goddess?)," inquired another in awe; he was the one who killed my mother.

The one above me shook my shoulder gently. In an instant my hand was on his; I twisted and snapped his arm like twig. He barely had enough time to scream before I wrapped it off and sent it flying into the bushes.

"Yeye ni dubwana (She is a monster!)," my mother's killer shrieked as he took off into the forest. Before the others could react, I had sprung to my feet and dug my massive jaws into the creature's neck. Which a sharp turn of my head, he was dead. His two remaining companions reached for the strange weapons that had killed my mother. I quickly doze into the surrounding shrubs.

All around me were the loud banging sounds that claimed my mother's life, but I could not hear them. No. I could not feel the grass at my feet or the leaves at my back. My pupils constricted and my entire presence disappeared.

A few seconds of pure silence followed after the loud banging ceased.

"Ambapo ni yeye (Where is she!)," yelled one of the creatures; his body shaking in terror. His fellow hunter opted to flee, just as his friend had. I leapt from the bushes and tackled him to the floor. Hooking my claws into his neck, I ripped out his throat; his blood sprayed across my bare body.

So over taken by fear, the hunter behind me soiled himself and his knees gave out. He breathing was haggard and his eyes were as wide as leafs.

Standing to my feet, I turned to walk toward him. My eyes were blackened by my pupils and my expression was completely blank.

"Tafadhali ... Tafadhali! Vipuri mimi (Please... Please! Spare me!)," he screamed. Eyes locking with his, I slowly lifted my arm above my head; lengthening my claws.

"Vipuri-! (Spare-!)." He was dead before he could finish.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all and sorry for the wait! Being a full time student in a limited access program has REALLY cut into my free time so I apologize for the wait (whoever may be reading this) and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/is following/favorited this story! (Makes me happy and fuels my drive to write :D) Please review and, again, I hope you enjoy it!

_Animal speak_

**Thoughts**

"People talk"

Chapter 2

The sound of heavy breathing flooded my ears and my eyes snapped open. Fully conscious and shocked at my own throbbing pulse, my legs gave out and I fell to the damp forest floor. The murderous haze that had once clouded my mind and judgment was lifting.

My body was exhausted from over exertion and trembling from head to toe. Lifting my hands, I saw that they were shaking and coated in a fine layer of blood; the rest of my body was spotted with the red liquid. Pupils' finally constricting back to normal and breathing under control, I tore my gaze away from my hands and began to frantically look around in confusion.

**Wha- What happ-! **My thoughts were cut short as the putrid smell of dead flesh and the mad buzzing of flies hit me. I cupped my hands over my sensitive nose and craned my neck to find the source of the overwhelming stench. Forcing my reluctant muscles to move, I staggered to my feet and took a few attentive steps forward. Slowly, the corpse came into view. I whirled around and bit back vomit. My eyes widened in realization at what I had found.

**The hunter…**Well, what was left him. His ribcage and stomach had been torn open and his organs littered the surrounding area; his blood stained many of the adjacent trees. I composed myself and turned back to face the now dead creature. Its head and limbs were also missing.

**Why… why did I do this?! **Up until now, I had only ever killed to satisfy my hunger and even then I was never this brutal. I looked back at my hands again. For the first time I noticed that my claws were elongated and still had bits of flesh caked underneath them. Retracting them under my fingernails, I hastily wiped away the flesh from my hands. **Why? Why!** Tears began to prick at the corners of my eyes and the shivering returned.

Then it dawned on me and I ceased my movements.

**Mom.**

I bolted around and took off into the forest.

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The rhythmic banging of drums and the merry stomping of feet filled the crisp summer air. All around, the cheery inhabitants of the bustling little village were conversing, singing, and dancing in celebration. Today marked the start of the village's week long celebration in honor of its well-renowned and well-received wind rider. She was able to grace them with her presence this year and had managed to bring along equally unique guests.

Taking a seat on one of the large tree logs surrounding a blazing fire, a Ms. Ororo Munroe was enjoying her plate of delicious ethic foods. After a few satisfying bites, she looked up to take in all that was going on around her. She saw that her nephew, Evan, was chatting with a few young tribesmen; he was explaining the dynamics of skateboarding and how to execute a perfect Ollie over their cattle pin. Kitty and Jean were talking with a group of girls their own age while having their hair cornrowed and their faces spotted with warm toned paints. Ororo turned again and the smile she was presently sporting grew wider. Kurt was having the most fun out of the four youngsters.

At the moment, he was being tackled to the ground by a herd of overly energetic children. They had taken an extreme liking to his ability to teleport and were doing everything in their power to exploit it. All Kurt could do was laugh as the children begged for more trips through his "mystic smoke"; drowning him in a wave of their native tongue.

Believing that Kurt had suffered enough, Ororo stood to her feet, placed her food down, and walked over to them.

"Hiyo inatosha sasa watoto. Mwache peke yake, hivyo anaweza kufurahia ya mapumziko ya sikukuu (That's enough now children. Leave him alone so that he can enjoy the rest of the festivities)," Ororo laughed as she politely shooed the children away.

Helping Kurt to his feet, he turned to her with an expression of humor and astonishment. "You have such a vhay vith vhords Ororo. Vhat did you say to drive avhay such a deadly mob?"

She merely shook her head and leaned forward to help adjust the animal skin sash at his waist. Kurt had really immersed himself in the village's culture and enjoyed the food, music and dance; he even went as far as to trade his t-shirt and jeans for the village's traditional dress. He was wearing a large square of rust-colored fabric that was wrapped around his waist and fell to his knee caps; it was secured with a cattle skin sash. Gold bangles adorned his forearms and a string of white beads crowned his head.

"If you would pay attention in class Mr. Wagner you would be able to translate what I said," she replied with a smirk. He ducked his head sheepishly and blushed with embarrassment.

"Hey you guys!" They both looked to see Kitty running over excitedly; all about her appearance was familiar except that her hair had been braided up into a ponytail of plaits and three dots of red paint were under each of her eyes. "The children's dance is about to start! You're gonna miss it."

Grabbing both their hands, Kitty hauled them toward the sitting area near the fire to see the show as it was just beginning. The boys had started there dance before the girls; lining up side by side to rapidly stump their feet in unison while singing aloud to a native song. Instead of drums, the clapping of hands and the howling of older men supplied the music for them to follow.

Ten minutes or so into the performance, Kurt and Kitty were so engrossed with the spectacle that they barely realized that someone had called Ororo away to talk. Seeing that it was someone that they had never seen before, Kurt pried his gaze away from the dance. The man's attire is what distinguished him as being a foreigner; he had the same warm brown skin as Storm, but looked like he was preparing for a safari. Attention fully off the children's performance, Kurt was watching the newcomer and Storm.

Their conversation started out friendly enough, but ended with hushed whispers. At one point Kurt was certain that he saw the man mouth the word "kusaidia"; which is Swahili for help. He was jolted out of his thoughts when Kitty nudged him.

"Earth to Kurt! Like, what's wrong fuzzy? You were totally into this a second ago and now you've missed half of the girls' dance." Kurt merely jerked his head in the direction behind them towards Storm; she was now heading back toward them. Taking her place next to Kurt, Ororo turned to them with worry distorting her face.

"What's the matter Ororo," Kitty asked; her voiced lined with concern.

"That was my friend Mosi," she admitted with a sigh. "He needs our help.

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It had been thirteen suns since my mother died. Thirteen since I found her body among those of the hunters. It was as if all the life had drained from me in that one moment. I couldn't think; I just gathered her into my arms and walked away. Stumbling upon a brook, I cleaned her body and after reaching our cave I laid her down in her usual spot. Maybe I just didn't want to believe it; that my mother was actually taken from me.

For two days I did not eat. I did not sleep. I did not leave that cave. I just lay there with her; curled up at her back with my eyes closed.

On the third day she began to smell and after another a maggot fell from her nose. I shouldn't have been shocked, but something in me fueled my distress that day.

**W-what now?! **The heat of life in the form of dread returned to me.

The dead were often left where they fell, but… I couldn't… I refused to do that to my mother. So I took her up in my arms again and made my way out of the cave.

**What do I do with her?! Where do I take her?! **Then, for some reason, I started walking farther and farther and deeper and deeper into the forest. I ignored the rocks tearing into my feet or the bugs I absently stepped on. Cradling my mother close to my chest, I continued on. The sky was a golden orange and purple when I finally reached my unknown destination.

Standing before me was an enormous Kapok tree that I was long acquainted with. It's great, dark-grayish colored frame stretched several stories into the air and its branches reached out to touch many neighboring trees. I could feel the anxiety slowly slipping from my mind as my eyes gazed upon its great buttress roots. The times of when mom and I leaped over the tree's limbs in mad dashes for food and fun flashed before my eyes.

_Here_, I purred softly; it was the first time I had uttered a noise in two days.

Taking careful steps, I made way towards the tree. I squatted down to venture under its net of wildly growing roots. My grip on my mother tightened as I shifted to my knees and scooted until I was under the center of the tree. Laying her body down on the grassless dirt, I stroked her coat one final time. **You'll like it here**, I thought as I reluctantly turned to leave from under the Kapok.

When I left that tree… I was different. I guess with my mother gone I lost all ties to that area of the forest… so I left. I found my own territory and began to seriously follow and practice my mother's teachings. Tirelessly, I worked to perfect my stealth, agility, and strength. I would take down prey and enemies without a hint of effort.

If I showed mercy before, I surely didn't now.

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"Okay, vhat's going Ororo?"

Kurt couldn't take it anymore. The night before Storm had informed them that one of her old friends possessed a mysterious problem, but she refused to tell them about it until morning. Well morning came, and then the afternoon, and now it was just a few hours until sunset. What's more, Ororo had managed to persuade them into coming along in Mosi's jeep and they had been driving through uninhabited land for hours.

"I'm with Kurt on this, Auntie O; you've been frowning all day. What's wrong," Evan asked while taking her hand. Storm was sitting in between Kurt and Evan, while Jean and Kitty were riding in the front with Mosi. When the two girls turned around with distress staining their faces, Ororo conceded.

"Mosi is a friend of mine from a village near this area. It's about a three hour trek away from the other side of this forest we're about to reach."

Sure enough the dry plains ahead were leading up to a massive and imposing forest that struck awe in the youngsters. Mosi finally cut the engine of his jeep, and everyone stepped out. The squeaks of birds and the distant slithering of critters filled the silence.

"We're not going in there… are we," Jean questioned while taking a reluctant step forward. Kitty looked at Storm for confirmation.

"A few weeks ago, a group poachers entered this forest in search of rare animals. They apparently had gotten whiff of the few leopards inhabiting this land." Ororo stopped to look at Mosi; he didn't understand English too well but he knew what she was talking about. Feelings of sorrow and mild anger played on his face."One of those poachers was Mosi's brother."

The group of teenagers was taken aback.

"So you vhant us to help them," questioned angrily. "Those type of people are monsters," Kitty stated.

"No! That is not why we are here," Storm quickly informed.

"Then why? Tell us Aunty O." Ororo looked at Evan and exhaled deeply. "Every one of those men were found dead near the forest's edge. It wasn't just a case of them being mauled to death by a leopard or some other animal. The damage done to their bodies was something completely unseen before."

The group fell silent and Kitty hugged Kurt for comfort; she was shaking with fear. "W-what do you mean," Jean asked hesitantly.

"There limbs were flung all over the surrounding area. The bite marks on their corpses were also… human like."

"So, what?! We're dealing with a monster," Evan questioned shakily.

"No… a mutant. The bite marks, the strength it would take to kill four men the way it did; it has to be a mutant."

"S-so what do we do," Kitty asked for everyone. At that moment, Mosi pulled a gun from the back of his jeep and Storm rushed to his side. For a few minutes, they had a heated argument in Swahili before Storm convinced him to put the gun away.

Turning back to them, Storm looked in all of their eyes before answering.

"We find this mutant and bring them back with us."

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The remains of a half-eaten deer carcass lay at my feet as I slump to the ground. My eyes absently stare off into space as I shut myself off from the world around me. I can't bring myself to enjoy the taste of fresh meat or the thrill of running through the forest. Lately, I've fallen into a pattern of sleeping, waking, hunting, bathing, and then sleeping again.

**I guess I've finally done it**, I thought to myself bitterly. **I've become the hunter mom's always wanted.**

**At what cost**. The thought crosses my mind and a boiling rage erupts through me. I shot to my feet and bolt towards the nearest tree in my sight. Unsheathing my claws, I shredded through several large chunks of wood from its trunk. With every passing second my anger grew. Instead of a tree, I imagined the hunter who killed my mom. I wished that creature was alive. I wished it were alive so I could kill again, but this time while I was conscious. I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me; for what he took from me.

**Would that bring her back? **My eyes widened in shock at the fleeting thought and my right claw dove into a jagged piece of wood, piercing my palm in the process. I swallowed back a pain stricken howl and immediately pulled my hand away. Cradling it with my other, I began to slowly pick bits of stray wood from my wound.

**Would it… bring her back? **My brows creased in a mix of grief and rage. I knew the answer. No. She would never come back.

I clenched my fist until blood was freely following. **It's because of them! They took her away from me! **I gritted my teeth tightly and my lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines. **Every single one of them; I'll kill them all!**

My ears flinched back in the direction behind me and I tensed. The crunching of grass, the faint scent in the air; it was… unfamiliar and very recognizable at the same time.

**Two legs. **My pupils engulfed my irises and I slowly crouched to the ground; moving on all fours. Nostrils flared and senses sharp, I crept into the forest.

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"I'm glad you left that Mosi guy behind Aunty O; he looked like he was ready to shot to kill!" Jean stiffened and turned to Evan to reply, "He was and based on how badly he wants revenge, I wouldn't count on him not trying." Making their way through the forest, Storm headed there little group while Kitty and Kurt were at the back.

"Do you sense anyone's presence besides ours Jean," Ororo inquired. Jean paused for a second to concentrate. "Nothing. I'm just getting the usual animals; birds, deer, but no mutants."

"Maybe that's a good thing. I'm not in a hurry to meet some psycho killer mutant," Kitty admitted as she hugged her arms around herself.

"We do not know the whole story Kitty. Remember those men were poachers," Storm stated.

"So! It, he, she, whatever, killed people! What if it attacks us," Kitty retorted. Kurt gripped her had in an attempt to comfort his best friend. "Calm down katzchen, everyzhing vhill be okay. And… I trust Ororo on this. This mutant probably calls zhis place home; what if he's all alone? At least vhe had parents and ozher people to love and guide us. Zhis mutant may have had no one from zhe start and is just frightened of intruders."

Kitty looked up to Kurt as his words slowly sunk in. Her face relaxed a bit and she squeezed his hand. "You always know what to say, Kurt." She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"So how long are we gonna be at this? Looks like we've got another hour to sunset," Evan claimed wearily. He nearly walked into Jean, who was frozen in place. Everyone turned to see her trembling in place with eyes full of fear. "Jean what's wrong," Ororo asked urgently.

"T-he mutant! H-her mind its… so full of anger and hurt and s-she's coming this way! She knows where we are and doesn't even know us, but s-she wants to rip us apart!" Jean's reports set everyone on edge and they quickly form into a circle with everyone's back facing the other; all getting into battle stances.

"Where is she Jean?!" Jean tries to concentrate; to hear the mutant's mind. All she picks up is nothing. It's as it that person's mind, thoughts, and soul had disappeared altogether. "I… I can't see her!"

SNAP! Everyone turns their heads to the left in panic. Ten seconds of dead silence pass and Kitty lets go of the breath she was holding. Then it happens.

The mutant descends from the tree tops as quick as lightening to pounce upon Kitty; effectively knocking her to the ground. Raising her left hand with her mighty claws, she brings it down with full force. Paralyzed with fear Kitty can only watch.

BAMF! The mutant is off Kitty in a split second and reappears atop the trees with Kurt. Instead of being ruffled from the surprise trip, she manages to swipe at Kurt; smashing his image inducer before he can teleport away. By this time, Evan is launching spikes at her from all directions. With movements as fluid as water, the mutant moves through the tree tops while dodging the projectiles easily.

After slipping past another spike, the mutant leaps from the trees toward Evan. Seeing this, Storm quickly summons a powerful wind to push her back. It works, sending her backwards and Jean manages to catch her in mid-fall. With the mutant fully immobilized, everyone d attempted to calm their pounding hearts and fevered breaths. Kurt moved to help Kitty from the ground while his normal human image continued to blur and switch to his normal appearance.

With the mutant being held in the center of the group, they were finally able to get a good look at her. Well Evan gets a good five seconds to look before he covers his eyes; Kurt can't help but stare.

Despite her flared nostrils, exposed fangs, threatening claws, and black eyes… she was… He took in smooth brown skin and an athletic frame that retained a feminine softness. The wild mane of kinky, brown hair atop her head was the next thing to draw his eyes. Tossing her head back, his gaze drifted to her face. He lingered over eyes that were down turned and set in a heart shaped face with long lashes and thick brows. His eyes traveled down to a nose that was round, but small and lips that were plump and pouty. Her cat-like ears and tail only served to add onto her beauty.

He face lingered on her face a little too long and he locked eyes with her pupil eclipsed eyes. Immediately, he looked away and covered his eyes; the fact that she was completely naked had became painfully obvious.

In Jean's telekinetic grip, the mutant continued to jerk around and lash out without sign of exhaustion.

"Jean?"

"I got her, but… I can't get anything from her mentally… it's like all the lights are off upstairs; her mind has been completely shot down," Jean answered in fearful astonishment. The mutant continued to claw at them as she fought in vain against the invisible force binding her; black eyes darting back and forth between them.

Suddenly, Kurt's image inducer finally died out and his natural blue appearance was fully displayed. The mutant halted all movements to stare at him while he covered his eyes.; all the women took notice.

"Kurt," Kitty whispered-shouted while shaking his shoulder. "Vhat Kitty," he asked, hand still in place.

"Look!" "Vhat! I don't care if she's never been around ozher people, she's still nude! I can't," he shouted through a heavy purple blush.

"For some reason, she's calming down by looking at you Kurt," said Jean. "Zhat's good, but I'm still not looking!"

Despite his protests, Kurt parted his two large fingers to peek at the mutant. Her movements… had stopped and her eyes were locked on him. Her expression was blank, but her head was slowly titling to the left. Gradually, her pupils constricted to reveal startling green-yellow irises.

Jean flinched and Storm looked to her in worry. "What's wrong?" "N-nothing… it's just she keeps repeating this one thought over and over again." As if on cue, the mutants eyelids grew heavy and her body began to fully relax; within seconds she was unconscious. No one moved for a good five minutes after she passed out; after another minute, Jean lowered her to the ground. Getting closer, the Xavier students circled her.

"What was she thinking," Kitty finally asked.

Jean torn her eyes from the sleeping girl and looked to Kurt.

"It's just like me."


End file.
